http://hdl.handle.net/10468/1233 2017-10-28T15:18:55Z 2017-10-28T15:18:55Z Morrissey, Kellie http://hdl.handle.net/10468/3524 2017-01-26T19:01:09Z 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z

'I'm a rambler, I'm a gambler, I'm a long way from home': exploring participation through music and digital design in dementia care Morrissey, Kellie People with dementia (PWD) living in care are a population commonly termed as ‘vulnerable’, and whose challenging life situations are often described in the literature as being a part of a ‘burden’, both on the part of their families and larger society. The difficult circumstances faced by PWD are often compounded by moving into care, where they can face loneliness, social isolation, and a lack of meaningful experiences. With many millions of people living with the condition worldwide, as well as a lack of available and effective pharmaceutical treatment for dementia, there have been increasing calls for the ‘problem’ of dementia to be addressed through psycho-social pathways, with technological design implicated as one of these. However, the vast majority of extant design research in dementia has focused on alleviating the cognitive problems that come with the condition, leading to a lack of design research that explores experiential aspects of living with dementia. This thesis presents the findings and insights from a three year long, in-depth participatory project carried out in three dementia care settings in the south of Ireland that explored how people with dementia can participate within creative (music) sessions, and how this participation can be folded into an ongoing design process to result in a rich and multi-authored account of experience, as well as in meaningful design processes and objects. This thesis contributes to design research, in particular to experience-centred design approaches, and positions these contributions within the context of their potential when practiced in communities of care. The work outlines an ethnographically-informed design approach which, in this thesis, responds to human potential and creative imagination, and which is realised in an analytic account of an unfolding design process carried out with communities of people with dementia living in care. In particular, the approach describes the potential for design and design processes to be creative and expressive for a population often denied a sense of agency through aspects of living in care settings, as well as through a medicalization of the condition of dementia that persists in the literature surrounding designing for and with this population. The thesis outlines how ethnographic (and later, participatory action research) approaches contribute opportunities for very different community members (e.g., PWD, researchers, artists, carers, nurses – and more) to come together in a process of co-inquiry that utilizes multiple forms of creative imagination and communication. In this thesis, this was achieved through an unfolding process of learning concerning the potential of embodied communication in dementia care and design. The work positions embodied communication as a fruitful way to access and understand the lived experience of participants whose verbal abilities may have waned, but whose ability for communication and expression is still present in alternative ways (such as eye contact, touch, movement, vocalisation, informal chat, gesture, song, and dance), and evidence this with data from my fieldwork. The thesis includes an account of the development and introduction of a design object (SwaytheBand), the creative (and embodied) use of which helps to make visible certain social and communicative processes by participants, and which itself leads to a novel account of creative, spontaneous participation in dementia. Ultimately, the thesis provides a rich analytic account of ways in which people with dementia can communicate and participate within design processes in ways that have not yet been articulated in the design literature surrounding design in dementia, and, positioning itself within this larger literature, indicates a number of ways in which a body of research concerned with the experience and participation of people with dementia may proceed.

2017-01-01T00:00:00Z Cassarino, Marica http://hdl.handle.net/10468/4015 2017-09-06T11:29:29Z 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z

Urbanisation and cognitive ageing: an investigation of geographical variations in the cognitive health of older adults in Ireland Cassarino, Marica Ageing and urbanisation worldwide, and the increasing risk of chronic conditions such dementia and cognitive impairment with higher life expectancy, urge to understand the impact of city or rural living on healthy cognitive ageing. Based on the premise that environmental features influence cognition, my doctoral project investigated whether different levels of urbanisation supported specific cognitive skills in older age. Firstly, a thorough review of the literature identified environmental characteristics (e.g. urban vs. rural living, perceptual load caused by traffic or noise, presence of green) which could “train” the brain to maintain efficiency and age well. We proposed the concept of complexity to operationalise and measure the dynamic set of physical factors (encompassing a macro, meso and micro level of analysis) that make the lived environment optimally stimulating for cognitive functioning, and which could therefore be key contributors to cognitive-friendly environments. Using data from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), the PhD project investigated macro (urban-rural living) and meso level (population density and accessibility to urban environments) geographical variations in multiple cognitive domains for approximately 5,000 healthy community-dwelling people age 50+, to test the hypothesis that in Ireland higher urbanisation (i.e., higher environmental complexity) would be associated with better performance. We found a positive association (cross-sectionally, but not longitudinally) between urbanisation and executive functions, a key cognitive skill to interact with the environment, in line with our hypothesis. Healthy lifestyles moderated geographical variations in global cognition, in line with research on cognitive reserve. This PhD research provides new evidence on the specific cognitive skills amenable to environmental influences, namely executive functions, and stimulates future work to identify neighbourhood characteristics which can ‘train’ executive functions in older age, with implications for the design of usable and cognitively stimulating places for older people.

2017-01-01T00:00:00Z Murphy, Gillian http://hdl.handle.net/10468/4013 2017-09-06T11:29:29Z 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z

Load theory behind the wheel: an experimental application of a cognitive model to simulated driving Murphy, Gillian Load Theory is a prominent model of selective attention first proposed over twenty years ago. Load Theory is supported by a great many experimental and neuroimaging studies. There is however, little evidence that Load Theory can be applied to real world attention, though it has great practical potential. Driving, as an everyday task where failures of attention can have profound consequences, stands to benefit from the understanding of selective attention that Load Theory provides. The aim of this thesis is to apply Load Theory to the task of driving, using driving simulation technology, to examine the real-world relevance of the load model as well as the applied recommendations such an endeavour may generate. First, a literature review exploring the applied potential of Load Theory was conducted. This review highlighted the artificial nature of most experimental paradigms used in Load Theory research. Therefore, before driving simulation studies could get underway, a series of basic EPrime experiments was carried out to establish a novel load manipulation that could be translated to more complex tasks. The load model was supported by this new paradigm, and alternative explanations such as expectancy and dilution were ruled out. Chapter 4 then used this new paradigm in a driving simulator task. Load Theory was again supported, most notably with the finding of reduced distractor processing and increased inattentional blindness and deafness under high perceptual load. Chapter 5 replicated this finding using a different, more ecologically valid load manipulation. Chapter 6 examined the cross-modal effects of load, finding that high auditory load increased inattentional blindness for an unexpected roadside animal. Finally, Chapter 7 considered the effects of cognitive control load on driver attention in more detail, comparing verbal and visuo-spatial working memory load. Interestingly, and in line with Load Theory, increasing cognitive load actually reduced levels of inattentional blindness for an unexpected object. In summary, this thesis clearly demonstrates the robust nature of Load Theory and its utility in understanding driver attention. The thesis has many applied implications as well as raising important theoretical issues which may help to advance the development of the load model.

2017-01-01T00:00:00Z Lee, Laura Mary http://hdl.handle.net/10468/4011 2017-09-06T11:29:29Z 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z

Reading fluency in monolingual and bilingual primary school children: cognitive mechanisms and remediation of difficulties Lee, Laura Mary The topic of this thesis is reading fluency. Reading fluency is a critical component of skilled reading, and has been the subject of much investigation in recent years. Despite this surge in interest, we are still challenged to explain a number of pertinent issues related to reading fluency which are in need of further research. The current study adopted a traditional, broad definition of reading fluency, which includes speed, accuracy, and prosody as its facets. The construct was operationalised to reflect this broad conceptualisation - in contrast to much of recent research, which focuses only on the speed and accuracy facets of reading fluency. The research reported here consists of three studies; a cognitive analysis of reading fluency in monolingual and bilingual children, and two intervention studies. Study 1 investigated the power of a wide range of cognitive skills to predict reading fluency performance in both monolingual and bilingual children, as well as the relationship between reading fluency and reading comprehension. Relationships between bilingual children’s skills in both languages were also assessed, as was the ability of cognitive skills in the child’s first language to predict reading outcomes in the second language. Study 2 evaluated the effectiveness of GraphoGame-Fluent, a computerised educational game designed to provide additional reading fluency support to dysfluent primary school children. Study 3 reported a multi-faceted evaluation of Paired Reading intervention, implemented among primary school children identified by their teachers as being in need of extra reading fluency support. The results of all studies are interpreted in light of their theoretical and practical implications for the teaching and assessment of reading fluency, and the remediation of reading fluency difficulties.

2017-01-01T00:00:00Z